This invention relates to a door handle unit for a vehicle door lock system in which the interior door handle is connected to the latch mechanism by means of a single, push-pull cable. A door lock system of this type is described in our British Patent specification No. 2 161 854 A.
In the system described in that specification, the internal handle which is conveniently of a lever type has three positions, namely locked, unlocked but latched and unlatched. To change the state of the lock system between these three settings only requires movement of the door handle.
In some countries, it is a requirement that the door handle itself should become inoperable when the vehicle door is locked. It is an object of the present invention to provide this feature in a door lock system of the type discussed above.